I Ching for 2025

The coming year augurs a sea change in American society. A near majority of voters have voted for substantial change to the way the country’s leaders govern. Our American Experiment continues, and many of us may feel that “These are the times that try men’s souls,” as Thomas Paine wrote in December 1776 after the first decisive loss in the American colonies’ fight for independence. The reactions of many people have been couched in the emotions engendered when the battle has been lost, and uncertainty prevails. Worry, anxiety, fear, anger, outrage, grief, disappointment, depression, disheartenment, and despair show themselves. Generally, people want to live normal lives, love their friends and families, find a work-play balance, enjoy their health and well-being, , retire and grow old gracefully, and otherwise live in peaceful times. Many of us hope that some of the changes that may occur will benefit everyone, not just a few. Some of us fear that some of the policies that may be implemented will disrupt our lives in disastrous ways and that the sea change is a major setback for our grand experiment. Continued polarization portends continuing uncertainty and turmoil.

How does one cope? Whenever I am confronted by potential chaos, I consult the I Ching. The yarrow stalks always provide sagacious guidance.

遁 33. Dùn / Retreat

The Chinese character Dùn has several meanings depending on the context: to make an escape, disappear, flee, hide, retire, yield, and withdraw. Most I Ching translators choose ‘Retreat’.

The Image

above ☰ (乾 qián) force = (天) heaven
below ☶ (艮 gèn) bound = (山) mountain

The power of the dark is ascending. This is shown by the two broken lines on the bottom which are moving up. Inferior people have won and are increasing their power. The light and superior people retreat to security, so that the dark cannot encroach upon them. Yielding while retreating, the superior person keeps inferior people at a distance, not engaging nor supporting, but without ill that will disturb one’s sense of propriety. This retreat that is called for is not escaping or fleeing but rather a strategic retreat. By retreating strategically one can conserve strength and dignity. It is a time to gather our Qi and wait for circumstances to become more favorable in anticipation of a future reversal. After being thwarted, Retreat is a matter of natural law; it is the correct way. The forces of winter are already showing their influence. Let nature take its course.

The Judgment

RETREAT. Success. Prosperous and smooth.
When confronting what is small, perseverance furthers, and it is favorable to be steadfast and upright.

Conditions are such that the hostile forces favored by the time are advancing. In this case retreat is the right course, and it is not to be confused with flight. Flight means saving oneself under any circumstances, whereas retreat is a sign of strength. We must be careful not to miss the right moment while we are in full possession of power and position. Then we shall be able to interpret the signs of the time before it is too late and to prepare for provisional retreat instead of being drawn into a desperate life-and-death struggle. Thus, we do not simply abandon the field to the opponent; we make it difficult for their advancement by showing perseverance in repeated, single acts of resistance. In this way we prepare, while retreating, for the counter-movement. Understanding the laws of a constructive retreat is not easy. The meaning that lies hidden in such a time is important.

The Image

Mountain under heaven: the image of RETREAT.
Thus, the superior person keeps inferior people at a distance,
Not angrily but with reserve.

The mountain rises under heaven, but owing to its nature it finally comes to a stop. Heaven on the other hand retreats upward before it into the distance and remains out of reach. This symbolizes the behavior of superior person toward a climbing inferior; they retreat into their own thoughts as the inferior person comes forward. They do not hate, for hatred is a form of subjective involvement by which we are bound to the hated object. The superior person shows strength (heaven) in that they bring the inferior person to a standstill (mountain) by showing dignified reserve.

The Lines

‘Six’ at the beginning means:
At the tail in retreat. This is dangerous.
One must not wish to undertake anything.

The lowest line represents the tail. In a retreat it is advantageous to be in the vanguard and not be someone who is left behind. The early adopter is most likely to survive. If one waits to take action, then one may be in immediate contact with the enemy. This can become dangerous, and if one finds oneself in such circumstances, it is not advisable to undertake anything. Keeping one’s head down, being still and quiet, not drawing attention is the easiest way of escaping from the threatening danger when one is amidst the danger and escape is no longer possible.

Nine in the fourth place means:
Voluntary retreat brings good fortune to the superior person
And downfall to the inferior man.

In retreating, superior people are intent on taking their departure willingly and in all friendliness. Choosing to avoid difficult discussions with oneself and others engenders peace. The superior person easily adjusts their minds to retreat, because in retreating they do not have to do violence to their convictions. The only one who suffers is the inferior man from whom they retreat, who will fail when he is deprived of the expertise and knowledge of superior persons.

Nine at the top means:
Cheerful retreat. Everything serves to further.

The situation is unequivocal. Inner detachment provides us with the liberty to depart from the apparent outer chaos. When one sees the way ahead thus clearly, free of all doubt, a cheerful mood sets in, and one chooses what is right without further thought. Such a clear path ahead always leads to the good.

Commentary

In my lifetime, I have witnessed many changes in our society; and some might call this transformation ‘progress’. Yes, the change came about in fits and starts. Yet, I believed what was first said by Theodore Parker in 1918. “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Unfortunately, the arc is neither linear nor smooth but jagged at best. Some of us allowed ourselves to accept what Timothy Snyder in On Tyranny calls ‘the politics of inevitability’, the sense that history could move in only one direction: toward liberal democracy. However, there has always been a large group of people that possess another way of understanding who we are and what history teaches us. Snyder calls this the ‘politics of eternity’. The politics of eternity is concerned with the past, but in a self-absorbed way, free of any real concern with the factual lives of real people. Its mood is a longing for a return to a past that never really happened the way the revisionists describe, during epics that were in fact disastrous and painful for many people. Throughout history authoritarians have exploited this populous view for their own purposes.

Many people fear that these forces have just won a decisive victory. One can fight in response to this defeat or conduct a strategic, constructive retreat.

“Better to retreat and marshal your forces than to waste a glorious death in sure defeat." Demosthenes 338 BCE

What is a Constructive Retreat?

First, a constructive retreat is a withdrawal from direct confrontation with the forces of the enemy. Second, it should be orderly and accomplished without the opposing being able to effectively respond. While retreating, deprive them of any support of items of value to their continued success. Locally, conduct activities that interrupt and harass the enemy’s ability to grow its forces. Finally, it means to regroup, replenish, and consolidate one’s own resources, preparing a strategy to fight back when conditions become favorable for the inevitable reversal.

An example of a constructive retreat: In August 1776, George Washington's Continental Army were soundly defeated by the British Army losing 20% of his forces on Long Island in the largest battle of the Revolutionary War. Rather than continuing to confront the superior forces of the British Army and Navy, Washington evacuated his troops, first to Manhattan, and then to New Jersey. Except for token harassment, the British failed to pursue Washinton who fled to Pennsylvania crossing the Delaware River for the first time in November 1776. During their three-week withdrawal, they scoured the countryside for food and supplies and then destroyed or moved to the western shore, all boats for miles in both directions from where they had crossed. During a six-week respite, Washington regrouped, resupplied, received reinforcements, and strategized his next moves. The British had decided to end the campaign season encamping in New York for the winter. On Christmas 1776, once his conditions had improved, Washington crossed the Delaware once again, attacking the sparsely defended cities of Princeton and Trenton. Historians considered Washington’s willingness during the five-year war to repeatedly retreat and avoid direct confrontation with the British (quite an unorthodox military strategy in those times), the primary reason for the success of the American colonies in their war of independence.

How to marshal one’s resources and maintain one’s sanity in today’s world?

The I Ching teaches us that when changing the outside is difficult or impossible, then one should change the inside. Here are some ideas:

• Reconnect with your Inner Self Take a breath. Rekindle your practice of meditation, Qigong, Tai ji quan, and/or yoga. Breathing practices teach you to let go and be mindful of the present moment. Turn off your phone, turn off notifications, unsubscribe, turn off your TV, disengage with corporate-controlled ‘news’ media. Stop experiencing reality virtually on a screen.
• Connect with Community Throughout history, transformative changes in society have originated with communities working locally. “Move the people and the leaders will follow.” This is how revolutions begin. Volunteer, organize, participate in your local community. There’s much work that needs to be done. Meeting people and working for the greater good of all creates a real possibility for radical change.
• Elevate your Qi, raise your vibration, calm your spirit Question the value of social media, doom scrolling, collecting followers and ‘friends’. Delete, block, or ignore trolls, bots, crypto bros, and thirst traps. Notice how much of your precious life is involved with ‘distractions’, which are increasingly fed to you with incessant commercial advertising, subscriptions, and pay-walls. Dust off your music collection, sing and move. Stop watching televised sports, political talking heads, ‘breaking news’, sitcoms, crime shows, and the dramatic interpretations of fictional people, which prevent you from experiencing your own life. Stop buying and collecting ‘things’ that you do not really need and do not serve your true self. When you must purchase something, try to buy locally from small businesses. Support your local food coop and farmer’s market. Taking regular time out of your busy schedule has a regenerative effect in general. Nobody wishes that they should have worked more at the end of life.
• Immerse yourself in activities that nourish your body and spirit Get out into nature as often as possible, forest-bathing, beachcombing, sailing, and hiking are inherently healing. Pick up a musical instrument, establish a regular exercise program, learn to cook or bake, start raising chickens, go contra-dancing, pick up sewing or quilting. Nurture your artistic side by painting, learning to work with clay, make jewelry, write in a journal or make poetry, read from a book every day. Move your body. Buy an e-bike and start a local club. Take up pickleball. Start weight or resistance training. Practice martial arts.
• Shake things up Synder writes that the number one thing to do in resisting authoritarianism is ‘do not obey in advance’. Most power is freely given, not taken away. Choose carefully those with whom you trade. Vote with your pocketbook. Carefully choose where you shop and from whom you buy. Be careful with your words. Email and social media posts are like skywriting and electronic messaging, in any form, lives forever. When fear-inducing events occur, do not react. Stay in focused retreat. Authoritarians thrive on disrupting and creating outrage. Do not feed them.

“Every civilization carries the seeds of its own destruction, and the same cycle shows in them all. The Republic is born, flourishes, decays into plutocracy, and is captured by the shoemaker whom the mercenaries and millionaires make into a king. The people invent their oppressors, and the oppressors serve the function for which they are invented.” -Mark Twain

This may be discouraging to those who fear we are amidst this stage in our history. However, we can take hope in the fact that evil sows the seeds of its own destruction, as well. Arguably, even the very nature of their personality and egoism of the invented king sets in motion a series of events which eventually comes back to destroy them. These events may happen a long time down the line, but history is replete with the tales of eventual comeuppance.

Meanwhile, you are encouraged to go into retreat and engage with life in a meaningful and restorative way. As the craziness swirls around you, challenge yourself to try new things that can be both fun and refreshing, centering, and revitalizing. By looking at things from a new perspective, you will be ready when it is time to return to the inevitable arc of the moral universe.

Resources

• Blofeld, John, I Ching The Book of Change, Penguin Putnam Inc., NY, NY (1965).
• Cleary, Thomas (trans.), The Taoist I Ching, Shambala Press, Boston, MA (2012)
• Huang, Alfred (trans.), The Complete I Ching, Inner Traditions International, Rochester, VT (1998).
• Legge, James (trans.), I Ching Book of Changes, University Books, New Hyde Park, NY (1964).
• Ou-i, Chih-hsu (Thomas Cleary, trans.), The Buddhist I Ching, Shambala Press, Boston, MA (1987)
• Siu, R.G.H., The Portable Dragon, The Western Man’s Guide to the I Ching, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA (1968).
• Snyder, Timothy, On Tyranny, Crown/Penguin Random House, Bew York, 2017, 2024.
• Wilhelm, Richard (trans.), The I Ching or Book of Changes, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ (1950).